Chapter twenty-one – Forgiveness and hope

Elladan turned his head to the side and looked at Legolas. The Prince was weakly holding onto the branch, between him and Elrohir. His arms were wrapped around the piece of wood and his head rested on it despite the fact that water sometimes washed over it. His blue eyes were cracked open and trained of the sky, but otherwise the only sign that he hadn't passed into unconsciousness was his body's trembling. His blue lips were quivering, and his breaths shaky.

Him and Elrohir were gently kicking in the water, so their branch glided over the almost quiet waters. He slowly looked up and caught Elrohir's eyes. His brother was looking just as worried as him. He reached over and rubbed his hand over Legolas' arm. His skin was icy cold beneath his hand.

Legolas blinked and a small amount of awareness returned to his eyes. He moved his head slightly and lowered his eyes to Elladan's.

"Can you tell me something about Maliel?" Elladan asked softly.

Legolas' lips curved weakly into a smile and longing started shining inside his deep sapphire eyes. "She's shy when meeting new people…" Legolas said softly, "But she's quick to come to love and trust them…" Both of the twins could hear the proudness in his voice. "She loves nature, you can never take her through a garden without having to stop half a dozen times so she can greet the flowers… We sometimes sneak out and sleep in the trees, despite knowing that Faneth would scold us when we returned…"

The twins chuckled at this; they had come to know Faneth after having visited Mirkwood some times after their wedding. They had been the victims of her wrath many times and it still sent shivers down their spines.

"Does she have your ability?" Elrohir asked, jostling Legolas from his daze once more.

"No." Legolas muttered, "She has a sensibility to nature, but thankfully not to the same degree as I have…"

"Thankfully?" Elladan asked, he wanted to keep Legolas aware and to do that meant to keep him talking. "Surely your power has brought you much good? Elrohir wouldn't have found you at all if you hadn't used your power to beacon him."

Legolas' eyes closed with a sigh, and he rested his head heavily on his arms. His headache was still flaring inside his skull, making it impossible to forget what had just happened. "You thought I did it willingly…?" Legolas mumbled, "Instead of doing that I could have used the energy to reach the surface myself…"

"What?" Elladan asked confused, his tone suddenly becoming worried. "What happened then?"

"Dol Guldur attacked my mind..." Legolas answered still with closed eyes. A small crease appeared between his eyebrows as his headache flared up.

Elrohir cursed vividly and slammed his palm down on the water, causing it to splash. He cursed himself for not having arrived in time to get him out of the water before the attack.

The branch rocked as Elladan moved his grip closer to Legolas, so he was lying right beside him. He reached out and placed his palm against Legolas' icy cheek. The Prince didn't even open his eyes at the touch; he only pressed his cheek a little against the warm surface. "Are you all right?" Elladan asked.

"Feels like a troll is using the inside of my skull to practice carving…" Legolas winced.

Immediately Elladan felt guilt well up inside him. "I don't have anything to help you with…"
Legolas opened his eyes and gave him a reassuring smile before saying softly; "Don't worry… I get headaches a lot… I'm used to it."

Just then Elladan felt as a shiver course up through Legolas' body, ending with his eyes shutting once more and an expression of pain coming over his face. He knew that Legolas had just lied when he had downplayed the severity of his headache. Legolas' complexion was beyond pale by now, and his lips were still blue. There were shadows under his eyes that showed his exhaustion.

Legolas' grip on the branch slipped slightly and he was lowered further into the water. Elladan reacted quickly as he reached out and placed his arm around Legolas' middle, pulling him up to his first position.

He can't take anymore Ro… He's barely conscious. We have to take him to shore and get him warm before the night falls.

Elrohir looked at their friend as well and although he couldn't see Legolas' face, he could see the completely stillness of his body, he wasn't even attempting to help them move the branch anymore. He could also see the lack of strength in his grip on the branch.

The twin brothers looked at each other with unbarred worry in both of their grey eyes. Legolas remained oblivious to this as he continued to waver on the border of awareness. It seemed that even speaking for the short period of time had tired him out.

Elladan and Elrohir reached a silent agreement and started turning their direction towards the shore. They could see a forest in the distance and knew that it was the Trollshaws. Hopefully they would be able to seek shelter there for the night.

It wasn't long before they began to feel the bottom of the lake beneath their feet and both Elladan and Elrohir found that they too were exhausted. They hadn't gained any serious injuries when they had passed the rocks, but they had gotten a ton of scrapes and bruises.

Once the water only reached their waist Elrohir, being the one without chains and in the best condition, gently gathered Legolas in his arms. Legolas muttered something incoherent under his breath once being pulled from the water and trembled with cold, but he didn't awaken.

Without the water to hide anything both Elladan and Elrohir were able to see the aftermath of Legolas trip through the rocks. There were more scrapes and bruises marring his normally porcelain skin, the worst were on his back and wrapped all the way around to his side. His calf also had a long cut on it surrounded by bruising, which was still bleeding sluggishly.

Another shudder wracked through Legolas' body and a furrow of pain appeared between his brows. He shifted in Elrohir's arms so his face was pressed against his shoulder while shivers continued to race through him. Elrohir was certain that he never felt an elf as cold as Legolas was at the moment.

He looked up and met his brother's eyes and saw his own horror reflected in them. No words were needed before both of them started moving towards the shore once more, intending to get their friend to dry ground as soon as possible.

Once there, Elrohir walked only a few steps onto the grass field before lying his precious burden down on its green strands. Elladan was on the other side of Legolas before Elrohir could even think to call him. His brother was looking exhausted as well.

"We need to start a fire to warm him up." Elladan said.

Elrohir nodded, but there was a regretful look in his eyes. "We cannot do it here. It will be too easy to see us if the men are indeed chasing us. We have to make it into the woods first."

Elladan looked up and turned towards the Trollshaws, measuring the distance before a determined expression came over his face. He nodded tersely and got to his feet once more, his weakness in the way he swayed slightly once he was upright. He closed his eyes and reached up to draw the soaked cloak from his shoulders before wringing it and draping it over his arm.

"Are you all right?" Elrohir asked worriedly.

Elladan nodded and passed the back of his hand over his forehead. "I'll be fine. We need to get Legolas to the forest."

Elrohir still looked worried, but nevertheless nodded and scooped the frail elf into his arms once more. He looked down at him and saw that his dark blue eyes opened a bit, looking disorientated and weakly at him. The twin smiled gently to him and said softly, "Go back to sleep Legolas… You'll be all right. We'll take care of you…"

Legolas seemed to take comfort in his words because in the next moment his eyes closed once more, all the lines disappeared from his expression and left him looking incredibly young. Young enough to be their little brother…

Elrohir put a new haste behind his steps and Elladan matched it, as they walked over the plains, always keeping an eye out for any horsemen. They would first let down their guard when they were standing inside Rivendell's border, not a second before.

The sun was in the sky, but little warmth reached the three elves. Autumn was coming and there was a cold breeze flowing through the still green long grass at either side of them.

Elrohir felt his arms start to ache after an hour of walking, but he knew that his brother wouldn't be able to carry Legolas. His twin was walking behind him with an exhausted look on his face, he had his gaze trained on the ground as if he was concentrating on just putting one foot in front of the other without falling straight on his face.

"What do you think Ada is doing now?" Elrohir asked softly, worry and longing clear in his voice. He also sounded just a tad bit nervous over how they would be greeted if they reached home - no - once they reached home.

He heard his brother's steps halt behind him and stopped as well. When he looked back he was worried to see an expression of deep regret and fear on Elladan's face. As gently as he could he laid Legolas down in the grass and pulled his twin into his arms. Elladan trembled in his arms, despite his elven endurance helping him withstand the cold.

"Dan…?" Elrohir whispered, "What's wrong?"

Elladan couldn't wrap his arms around his because of the chains between his wrists, but he did reach up and clenched his fists in Elrohir's wet tunic while pressing his face against his twin's shoulder.

When Elladan continued not saying anything, Elrohir delved into himself to the bond he shared with his twins and felt his emotions well into him. Elladan was drowning in guilt, regret and fear, and now Elrohir knew why. Images of how they had treated their father zoomed through his mind from Elladan, mostly he saw Elladan speaking cruelly to their father while he stood silently by his side and their father took everything without protest. It was first now that both of them were able to see the sorrow and pain in his dark grey eyes. He looked more tired than either of them could remember seeing him.

Elrohir blinked back tears as well and took a tighter hold on his brother. He closed his eyes and the two of them clung together for some moments more, before Elrohir reluctantly broke away. When he looked at Elladan he saw that there were a couple of tear tracks down his cheeks.

When Elladan's eyes shifted up to look into his, Elrohir cupped his cheeks and brushed away the tracks with his thumbs. "Come." He said gently, only slightly choked. "Let's get to the forest and take care of Legolas first, he deserves at least that much from us."

Elladan nodded, so Elrohir stepped over to Legolas. The Prince was lying in the high grass; his short silvery-white locks blowing gently into the green strands. His eyes were closed in an unconscious-like sleep. Elrohir placed his arms under his back and knees and heaved him into his arms.

Elladan stepped up and placed his finger on Legolas' pulse and forehead. Legolas' blood was only fluttering around in his veins and his temperature was too low. He leaned in and listened to Legolas' breathing and found it too weak for his liking as well.

Him and Elrohir locked eyes before continuing their trek towards the cover of the trees, knowing that there was nothing they could do for their friends at the moment.

From what they could see, an hour would pass before they reached the trees, a distance that was made worse by both their exhaustion and their injuries. Elrohir knew that once they reached the forest he was going to have to keep watch the first night so Elladan and Legolas could get some rest. It would not do well to be caught unawares when it was common knowledge that trolls roamed the Trollshaws. He didn't mind though, it was about time that he did something for them after they had taken care of him and worked themselves to the ground the past month.

"Legolas is a father Ro…" Elladan choked behind him. "He has a little daughter…"

"Yes, I know." Elrohir answered.

Elladan shook his head almost frantically when he heard nothing but mild confusion in his brother's voice, "No you don't know, you don't understand… If he dies then Maliel will become fatherless. She's only five years old Ro! She can't lose him now… She needs both of her parents."

Unlike us… Elrohir added in his mind and a cold feeling suddenly spread through his body as he thought about how close that little girl had been to losing him, how close she still was if they didn't get Legolas help soon.

New determination and fear made him speed up his walk and hold Legolas a little closer to share more of his warmth. Elladan followed suit and before long they found themselves entering the Trollshaws. The trees were broad and reached well up over their heads, big enough to hide the large creatures in it. The twins had found in their travels that if one kept to the edge of the forest one wouldn't meet any trolls, and intended to make full use of that discovery.

They found a clearing just long enough in for the fire not to be visible and laid Legolas down on the soft grass. The trees offered them cover from the wind and the twins could almost feel as they desperately tried to reach out to the heavily sleeping wood-elf on the ground.

Elladan collapsed to his knees as well and did nothing but stare at the ground underneath him while Elrohir quickly darted into the forest to gather wood. He knew that it was necessary to get a fire started but he couldn't get his body to obey his commands any longer. He just barely found the strength to scoot over to Legolas and pull his head into his lap.

His eyes went over the elf, taking in his still damp hair first, then the shadows under his eyes, then the lasting blueness of his lips, then the discolorations on his chest and arm, and finally the still wet state of his leggings and soft leather boots.

Tiredness inched into Elladan's posture and his eyes started dropping, only to snap awake instantly. He was soon unable to force his eyes up and instead felt himself steadily swirling into darkness.

"Elladan!"

Elladan's eyes snapped up and he looked about him wildly, disorientated, until his eyes landed on Elrohir who was nearing him worriedly with a stack of wood in his arms. Elladan immediately felt guilt well up inside him, if he had fallen asleep and something had happened then Legolas would have been defenseless… He looked around the clearing only to make sure that there was no one there and then once more directed his attention to the sleeping elf in his lap. Legolas hadn't moved an inch and his breathing was still just as weak.

Elrohir walked over and, after placing the wood on the ground beside Legolas, placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Go to sleep." Elrohir said, "I'll wake you if I need you. You're exhausted as well."

"What about you?" Elladan asked, but he could already feel the tension start to drain out of his body and knew that he wouldn't be able to stay awake for much longer.

Elrohir smiled to him. "I've been doing nothing but sleep this past month, surely I'll be able to keep watch tonight."

Elladan nodded tiredly. He reached down and gently lifted Legolas' head out of his lap and onto the ground before lying down beside him and drawing him against his chest in an attempt to share his warmth. He watched dazed as Elrohir started piling some small twigs and leaves he had found and then covering them halfway with the larger pieces of wood se he would still be able to hit it with the sparks from two flints he had found as well. It took some time but soon it started to catch fire. Once it had Elrohir placed wood on the barred side to protect it from the wind and waited. Soon they had a fireplace that spread warmth over all three of them.

By the time the elf in his arms started shivering, Elladan was already so far into sleep that he couldn't shake it off again, he just tightened his arms around Legolas and pulled him closer against his chest.

Elrohir stood up from where he had been sitting and allowing the warmth to fill him slightly, and walked over to Legolas. He pulled Legolas' soaked boots off of him and placed them closer to the fire to dry. He felt tempted to do the same with his leggings, but knew that after what the elf had experienced he wouldn't appreciate waking up naked in Elladan's arms.

Next Elrohir moved to his brother and took of his shoes as well. He also picked up the soaked cloak from where he had laid it. He placed the boots, along with his own, beside Legolas' and spread the cloak out on the other side of the fire. He then pulled his tunic off. It was pretty much ruined with the rusty blood stain on the chest and the multiple tears, coupled with dirt and sweat stains, but it could offer some warmth so he laid it down to dry as well.

He then moved over to Legolas once more and knelt before him. He reached to his broken arm and felt the wet state of the bandages they had wrapped around it. With a sigh he gently started unwinding it so he could check the wound underneath. Elladan had told him what had happened when they had been piling rocks so he hoped it wouldn't have to be moved again.

No such luck. There was black and blue bruising around the break and a small bump showed that the bones had moved slightly in their race down the river. Before attempting to set it Elrohir ventured into the forest once more and found a suitable piece of wood before sitting down to carve a couple of splints to hold the bone in place. He took Legolas' dagger, not an ideal tool but it would have to do, and began the lengthy process, while his mind was lost in memories of what had happened this past month.

He couldn't help but wonder what had really happened while he had been unconscious and what had happened every time Legolas and Elladan have been away from the room. Elladan had told him, but he knew that his brother had left some things out and hearing it wasn't the same as actually being there. He wondered what wounds Elladan and Legolas had that he wasn't aware of, invisible wounds…

As Elrohir raised his head and looked at Legolas he also found other questions swirling around in his head. What had happened after Turner had dragged Legolas to his room? What had he done to him? Why hadn't he succeeded? Those were the questions that he couldn't bring himself to ask his friend. Valar knew that he had already been through enough.

An hour went by before he was satisfied with the pieces of wood in his hands. He then got to his feet once more and walked towards Legolas, only stopped to pick up the long strips of cloak that he had laid before the fire to dry. When he kneeled down beside Legolas he placed his hand on his forehead and was thankful to feel that his temperature had gotten a little warmer from the combined help of Elladan's warmth and the fire, but it would still be a while before he regained a healthy temperature. His blue lips were turning slightly purple instead.

Elrohir reached out and gently took Legolas' forearm to pull it towards him. As soon as he moved it though, an almost silent whimper came from Legolas' lips and he tried to pull it back against his chest. Elrohir's heart ached, but nevertheless he persisted and used his strength to force Legolas' arm towards him.

He didn't have any herbs to dull the pain so he settled for doing it as quickly as possible, as he twisted the limp into place. A choked cry escaped from Legolas and he tried to draw back his arm and scoot backwards. Luckily Elladan woke at the moment and tightened his arms around Legolas, snaking one up to still Legolas' broken arm while Elrohir put the splints on and bandaged the arm tightly.

Legolas had opened his eyes, but they were glazed with confusion over being woken by pain and he didn't seem to recognize any of them. Elrohir let him cradle the arm to his chest once he had finished and reached up to cup Legolas' cheeks.

"It's over now." He said softly in elvish, hoping that it would calm him down to know that friends surrounded him. It did. "Go back to sleep now. You are safe and with friends."

Legolas looked as though he was about to say something but exhaustion won over him once more and forced him into the oblivion. Elrohir reached out and brushed his, by now, dry hair away from his face and caressed his cheek before turning his eyes to his brother.

Elladan had scooted slightly away from Legolas' back and was currently studying the whiplashes than ran over his back. Elrohir moved over as well and checked them. They were deeper than what was normal because of the amount of strength Right had put behind each stroke. Legolas' quick healing had succeeded in closing the wounds most of the way so they no longer bled, except for the ones that had been ripped open in the river, but they needed to be treated with resources that they didn't have at the moment, so did his arm.

"We could use the cloak as bandages…?" Elrohir suggested uncertainly.

Elladan shook his head, "It isn't clean enough, and he'll need it for warmth. The last time his wounds healed by themselves, we'll just have to hope that these do the same. He's strong, his body won't give up."

"I think you mean that his mind won't let his body give up." Elrohir smiled worriedly.

Elladan pushed himself upright and pulled his twin into his arms, to do this he needed to loop the chain between his wrists over Elrohir's head. Elrohir reached up and put his hands on his forearms, leaning into the embrace.

"You should sit down in front of the fire Ro." Elladan said softly, "You're still slightly damp. How's your chest?"

"It's fine." Elrohir whispered. He felt weariness inch into him as he continued to lean against his twin.

"And truthfully?" Elladan chuckled softly.

Elrohir hesitated but then admitted, "…It twinges a bit."

"Mmhmm…" Elladan hummed. "It was deep, you should take it easy for some time yet. I have no doubt that carrying Legolas is the reason for your discomfort."

"You worry too much."

Elladan placed his hand over the still very much visible scar on Elrohir's chest. "It was a fatal wound." He said softly, "If Legolas hadn't been there you could have been dead by now. You could have died on that very day… I do not worry too much. You should never have had to carry this wound. …Why did you jump in front of me Ro? I had hurt you unforgivably..."

Elrohir sank further into his brother's embrace and breathed in his scent deeply. There was a feeling of safety associated with the scent, and the feel of arms around him. He closed his eyes and felt sleep starting to tug at his mind. "Because I love you…" He breathed and then succumbed to his exhaustion.

Elladan smiled gently when he felt Elrohir slacken in his arms and heard his breathing deepen. Warmth flooded through him at Elrohir's statement, but also guilt for leaving in the first place. So much could have been avoided if he had just listened to Legolas earlier.

He gently lowered Elrohir down so he was lying beside Legolas, a feat that was made more difficult because of the chains between his wrists, as so many other things were. When Elrohir was down he pressed a kiss against his forehead, "I love you too little brother…" He whispered. Elrohir's lips curled slightly upwards in response.

Elladan got to his feet and walked over to the fireplace. By now there were only embers left, so he quickly went into the forest to find some wood. He stayed within hearing distance of the clearing and found things that would suit his purpose. It took him only a short time to get the fire blazing once more. He knew that as soon as the sun went down completely it would be more dangerous to be in the Trollshaws, so they would have to get all the warmth into Legolas in the limited amount of time they had.

When he checked the cloak and Elrohir's tunic he found that both were dry again after lying beside the fire for a couple of hours. He picked them up from the ground and headed towards Legolas. Figuring that his brother wouldn't have anything against it, he carefully dressed Legolas in Elrohir's tunic. It was stained, but it would keep him warm and that was what was important at the moment. Then he covered his form with his cloak. The only one they had left after a whole month of wounds and treatments. Legolas' cloak was still dark blue, but it could use a good washing.

He then went over to where Elrohir had laid their swords and pulled his out of his scabbard. It was clear that the men hadn't taken care of it at all, perhaps someone had wiped it over their sleeve to get rid of the worst of the blood, but otherwise it had been shoved into the scabbard and forgotten. Luckily the blade's quality made it able to withstand the treatment.

With a sigh he let the sword fall back into the scabbard and laid it down on the ground. He then walked over to where Legolas and Elrohir were sleeping and sat down on the ground, resting his head on his hand and staring into the flames while going over their situation.

They had no water, and only a lumpy piece of bread that Elrohir had brought in his pocket. It had been saved from total soaking because of the stone-hard crust that covered it. It would take them at least six days to reach Rivendell from where they were, in their condition and on foot. They were elves so he figured that they would be able to make it but nevertheless he threw a nervous glance at Legolas.

The Prince hadn't eaten for nine days before this, barely had anything to drink… Earlier, when he had dressed him in the shirt, he had been able to count his ribs. He knew that the two trips to the basement without food or water had pushed Legolas' body to the extreme along with everything else. He hadn't told Elrohir, but from the way his back and arm were healing it seemed as though it was going slower than normal.

Frowning, Elladan's eyes landed on Legolas' feet. They were sticking slightly out from underneath the cloak so he gently pushed them under once more, forcing him to bend his legs slightly. He then smoothed the cloak over him and studied his face on close hold for a minute. He almost looked like a ghost, with his pale complexion and sunken cheeks; his cheekbones were even more prominent than before. Somehow he managed to still look beautiful, to Elladan's great mystery.

Legolas lay completely still, almost like he was dead. The only thing that said otherwise was the soft rising and falling of his chest as he breathed.

Elladan diverted his gaze to his own hands and studied their torn and rough skin. They were witness to how many rocks he had dragged from the bloody pile to the bloody wall. His eyes travelled downward to the shackles around his wrists. It was a humiliating device… One that signified his position as slave and took away his freedom.

The shackles had cut into the skin on his wrists, but it wasn't nearly as bad as Legolas' wrists were. Clearly the night he had hung from the ceiling by his wrists had made wounds that weren't able to heal properly because the shackles were pressing on them. Turner had made Legolas' much tighter than his were.

Memories of failure clouded his vision for a moment. He saw Legolas being dragged away; saw himself standing by the sidelines doing nothing about it, only waiting until his broken body had been dragged back… He saw Legolas helping him and Elrohir while sacrificing himself, and still he was only watching by the sidelines, doing nothing…

Elladan tasted bile in the back of his throat.

He was so weak.

While he was drowning in self-loathing he didn't notice the pained expression that came over his twin's face. Elrohir's eyes soon opened and he looked over to his brother. The embers were being reflected in Elladan's dark and faraway eyes. He felt an ache deep inside him over Elladan's thoughts.

He got up from beside Legolas and walked over to his brother. He wrapped his arms around Elladan and whispered into his ear, "Stop this Elladan. It hurts too much."

"It's true." Elladan whispered back.

"No." Elrohir responded fiercely, "You're not a bad person Elladan. You did the best you could in the situation you were in."

"I let them hurt him Ro. I let them torture our friend. I let them whip him, and hit him, and I very nearly let them rape him!" Elladan choked out a sob. He leaned forward and let himself be held back by Elrohir's arms. "Look at the way I've acted these five years after Nana left and you'll se that I am a very bad person!"

"I acted the same you did! If you are then I am as well!"

Elladan shook his head from side to side, "You tried to stop… You didn't say the things I did… Valar Ro! I hit Ada! I accused him of not loving Nana! You saw the look in his eyes! You saw his despair as well!"

"Yes I saw it." Elrohir choked, "But I didn't do anything about it Dan. That makes me just as bad. We made a mistake, a grave one, and we hurt many who we cared about; people who were only trying to help us. This is just like what Thranduil did to Legolas, Hithel and Kirion after his wife died. He made a mistake as well. But look at where they are now. He won over his guilt and his loathing and brought their family completely together once more. They've become happy again."

He could feel by the tremors that racked up and down Elladan's body that he was crying and held him tighter against his chest. Speaking through his own tears as he continued, "We can be happy too. We can be strong and fight for it. This time we can see beyond our own needs and bring our family together. That's why we can't give up now, not until we've tried. Not until we've asked for Ada's forgiveness."

"He won't be able to forgive us…" Elladan choked.

"We'll just have to wait and see. I for one know that even if he doesn't at first, then I'll never stop asking him until he has. I'll do anything to win back his trust and his love." Elrohir whispered determined, "And I'll so anything to keep you from walking this path."

Elladan gave a sobbed laugh and choked, "Look at me… I'm crying again."

"I don't care." Elrohir said fiercely, "As long as you're here then you can cry every second of every day from now on. I prefer this compared to coldness so don't try and hide your emotions from me Dan."

Elladan was silent for a moment but then he whispered, "I still have nightmares about her you know… When I was alone in the cell I used to think about how she must have felt having her freedom taken from her, being violated and hurt in the most horrid ways… and I knew that I still hadn't felt an inch of her pain, but Legolas had. Because he was hurt Ro, he was tortured and violated… and he had a family to return to. I think sometimes that was the only thing that held him up."

"That doesn't mean that this will end the same way it did with Nana." Elrohir muttered and kissed Elladan's hair. "Legolas won't sail."

"And why is that Ro?" Elladan asked, turning in Elrohir's arms so he could look at his twin. Both of their faces were streaked with tears. "Why is it that Legolas isn't going to sail? Are we calling her weak by saying this?"

Elrohir was silent for a moment, but then he answered. "I don't know what Legolas has that makes him able to handle such situations… I don't know if it's because he has been through them many times, or because of the power inside him. Our mother had been surrounded by nothing less than beauty her whole life. Nothing bad had ever happened to her before. Legolas has seen the whole world; he knows beauty as well as darkness. This did not come as a great shock to him as it did to her."

"What about us? What are we compared to Legolas?"

Elrohir smirked, "If you ask our father we are elflings compared to him. If you ask Glorfindel then he'll say that we are insolent miscreants who do nothing more than try his patience while Legolas is a Prince and warrior in every aspect. I say that we are his friends, and should be honored to be so."

This managed to get a smile onto Elladan's lips. He directed his gaze over to Legolas and muttered, "We are indeed."

In that moment the sun went down completely and it was like the Trollshaws awakened. The ground started to tremble as the countless of trolls who lived here woke from their sleep and walked out of their caves.

Both Elladan and Elrohir looked around warily and then got to their feet. Elladan quickly pulled his shoes on and stamped out the last embers of their previously roaring fireplace, while Elrohir started collecting their things. They would move closer to the edge of the forest just in case, especially now that they had had a fire.

Once every trace of their stay in the clearing was gone, except the lasting traces of their fire, Elrohir gently checked Legolas' vitals and then scooped him into his arms. Once more sighing over how little the elf weighed.

Then Elladan led the way back towards the edge of the forest. They walked for a couple of hours, because they wanted to get far from the remains of their fire and because they had rested some and might as well start covering the leagues towards Rivendell.

When they found another spot Elladan quickly convinced Elrohir that he would take the first watch, so Elrohir lay down and pulled Legolas into his arms to keep him warm now that there was no fire. Legolas must have been exhausted because he still hadn't moved.

He watched for a moment as Elladan sat down with his back against a tree just beside them ready for his long vigil, but then he found himself nodding off. After all, he had only slept for about half an hour before being woken by Elladan's thoughts.

O

Someone was knocking loudly on his door, but Elrond ignored it as he continued to look out over the valley of Rivendell from his perch on the windowsill, whoever was trying to reach him could just as well go away… He knew what they wanted to say.

When the annoying and insistent sound stopped he breathed a sigh of relief over the fact that the elf had given up so quickly. It was only a second later when he found out that he had been relieved too soon, because at that moment the door slammed open.

Somehow he found the energy to raise his head from the position it had been in since… he didn't even know how long he had sat there. It felt like months… He saw Faneth striding towards him with an expression of anger and also a hint of desperation and worry.

He was just about to open his mouth to say something when she grabbed hold of his tunic with surprising strength and pressed him against the wall.

"Don't you dare give up now!" She halfway shouted, her golden eyes aflame with anger. "I don't want to see you waste away in here when there is still hope for them! You look as though you have given up! How about trusting your sons to make it out of this alive? How about keeping your strength up so you will be able to help them when they do? I know what happened to Celebrian ripped your heart into pieces, but there is no reason to give up before you see their bodies before you!"

Elrond was stunned so he therefore didn't put up a fight as she started pulling him towards the door and into the hall. Many elves gave them surprised expressions when they saw her come dragging with him, but they made no move to stop her.

"Don't your sons deserve more from their last parent than have him give up on them when they could very well be making their way home right now, or when they could have a need for the feel of his support?" She continued, he thought he heard a choked sound to her voice. "If there is one thing I've learnt from becoming a parent it is that you never put your needs in front of your child's and you never abandon them when they need help!"

She pulled him into the family hall, it was smaller than the great hall and used when he wanted to have a private meal with his family or close guests. He was surprised to see that there was already food on the table, and a plate placed at two of the seats. She marched him towards his seat and pushed him down into it.

"You don't just lock yourself into your room staring out the window, allowing yourself and your house to waste away because you are trapped in self-pity! You try to help! If you can't leave yourself then you speak to those looking for them! You tell them that there is still reason to hope! Do something else than make them feel like what they're doing doesn't even go noticed while they're out day after day looking for those you've already given up on!" Faneth choked at the end and reached out to place her hand over his heart, "You can feel that they are alive inside you, can't you? Then why are you giving up on them when there is still hope?"

Faneth let out a sob and fell to her knees, pressing her face against his thigh as she trembled and cried. Elrond slowly felt himself coming out of his stupor and placed his hand hesitantly on her back before gaining more surety and rubbing it.

"Faneth what happened?" He asked.

"Legolas opened his mind for a second…" She choked between her cries. "But he was so weak… I could feel his pain... He was dying… I could feel it. I barely had time to call his name before his barriers snapped back… And now I can't feel him at all. It's just an empty void inside my heart… So don't you dare give up! Not when you have hope!"

Elrond felt himself grow cold at her words… Legolas was dead? He found himself desperately delving into himself to uncover his bond with his sons and was relieved beyond belief to find them intact.

"Perhaps he had just locked his mind down so tightly that you can't feel him." He found himself saying slowly.

Faneth had stopped crying and was by now lying lifelessly on his lap. "Yes, that's probably it." She whispered, but he could hear that she didn't believe him. She slowly got to her feet without looking him in the eyes and said, "I have to get back to Maliel… She needs me by her side."

She had started to walk away when Elrond said, "Join me. There is an extra plate."

Faneth shook her head without looking back and said quietly, "Our daughter comes first, no matter what. That was the promise Legolas and I made, and I intend to honor it. Glorfindel will join you in a minute." Then she was gone.

Only five minutes later Glorfindel stepped into the room. Elrond took a good look at his seneschal while he walked towards the table without meeting his eyes. Glorfindel looked more exhausted than he had ever seen him before, almost like he hadn't rested at all since they had been captured and Elrond realized with a jolt how hard everyone else had been working to find his sons and Legolas.

When Glorfindel sat down at the table he raised his eyes for the first time and looked into Elrond's. What he saw there surprised him. He had been expecting the same lifeless eyes that had met him the past month, but a new fire had been lit inside the half-elf's stormy grey eyes.

"What is the situation?" Elrond asked.